About Start Midwest

Start Midwest is an online magazine covering startup news, founder stories, fundraising data, venture capital, and innovation across the American Midwest.

We publish original journalism, opinion, data analysis, and interviews from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

We cover the founders building companies, the investors backing them, and the ecosystems helping them grow — from Chicago's fintech corridor to Detroit's mobility hub, from Ohio's biotech labs to Wisconsin's manufacturing floor.
‍

What we publish

Start Midwest produces weekly coverage across six states, including:

Funding news and quarterly state-by-state fundraising reports. In-depth founder interviews through our Founder Stories and from our local contributors in each state. Anonymous insider columns from The Secret VC and The Secret Founder. Ecosystem analysis, university research coverage, and policy reporting. Video content through Future in the Making, the Lay of the Land podcast, Midwest Moxie and Startup Wisconsin.

We also maintain a Midwest startup database and investor directory.
‍

Who we are

Start Midwest was founded in 2025 and is led by Philippe Vella with contributions from more than ten writers, founders, and ecosystem leaders across the region, including Angela Damiani of Newaukee in Milwaukee, Madelyn Rutter and Jim Dallke of TechNexus in Chicago, Caroline Wolanin and Michelle Erikson of Straylight Capital in Detroit, Aria Spears of Michigan Founders Fund, Mollie Kuramoto of High Alpha in Indianapolis, Jacob Miller of Startup Wisconsin in Green Bay, Ellie Pigott of Traction Capital in Minneapolis, Sebastian Penix of Heartland Valley in Indianapolis and Kate Hursh-Wogenstahl of Cintrifuse in Cincinnati and Ruby Miller of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

These contributors are active founders, venture capitalists, university researchers, and economic development professionals who write from direct experience.
‍

Why we exist

it starts here. In the Midwest.

We're called Start. Not Startup.

That word has been used by too many people to mean something it simply isn't any more. Tech startup or just startup?

Same same.

Either way, no one goes into business because it's easy.

You have to start. Somewhere. Anywhere.
So, why not here?

If there is one thing you should take from this page, from this site and from our stories — it's that we have real people who make real stuff here. Innovation. Growth. Jobs.

We're here to tell the stories about the biggest and best companies in the world that are being built right here.

How do we know?

They always have been. McDonald's. Ford. Procter & Gamble. John Deere.
These are more than flyover states.
More than just fields and lakes (though we do love our fields and lakes).

Among the very best and brightest to ever do it have been born, raised, and built here.

This continues to happen.

We're going to keep talking about it.

And all it takes, is to start.